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New and Significant Records from Dehra Dun Valley, Lower Garhwal Himalayas, India

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New and Significant Records from Dehra Dun Valley, Lower Garhwal Himalayas, India Forktail 18 (2002) SHORT NOTES 151 roost habitat. Grass-cutting by villagers, both legally and I am grateful to the Bombay Natural History Society for the oppor- illegally, from the roost and its surroundings was tunity provided to work on raptors in Keoladeo National Park. I ac- considered to be the primary reason for the sharp drop knowledge the financial support of US Fish and Wildlife Service and in numbers after November in 1997 and 1998 (Table Govt. of India for sponsoring the project. I thank Ms. Shruti Sharma, Director, Keoladeo National Park, for the facilities extended during 1). Eurasian Marsh Harriers were observed roosting on the study. My special thanks go to Mr. David Ferguson, Coordinator floating vegetation (water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes) of USF&WS, and Dr. Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist, BNHS, for in wetlands in the park when there was disturbance at encouragement and guiding me throughout my study. I gratefully their grassland roosts. After January numbers acknowledge Dr. Roger Clarke for comments on the manuscript. diminished gradually as return migration started. Variation between years probably depended on rainfall, which determines the abundance of prey REFERENCES species, particularly waterfowl (which form about 25% of the prey items taken). Eurasian Marsh Harrier Ali, S. and Ripley, S. D. (1983): Compact edition of the handbook of the numbers were significantly positively correlated with birds of India and Pakistan. Delhi: Oxford University Press. waterfowl numbers (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r Ali, S and Vijayan, V. S. (1986) Keoladeo National Park ecology study. Summary report 1980-85. Bombay: Bombay Natural History So- = 0.8, p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation with ciety. rainfall (r = 0.7, p = 0.26), but this was not significant, Clarke, R., Prakash, V., Clark, W. S., Ramesh, N. and Scott, D. (1998) perhaps due to the small sample size (n = 4 years). World record count of roosting harriers Circus in Blackbuck The roost in the park was situated away from foraging National Park, Velavadar, Gujarat, north-west India. Forktail 14: grounds in the grassland of block G (locally called 70-71. Koldehar, located south-east of the park) close to the Newton, I. (1979) Population ecology of raptors. Vermillion: Buteo Chiksana canal. The roost habitat was formed largely Books. Prakash, V. (1988) The general ecology of raptors in Keoladeo Na- of Vetiveria zizanioides, a tall grass about 2 m high, with tional Park, Bharatpur. Ph.D. Thesis, Bombay University. long, erect and rigid leaves, and Desmostachya bipinnata, Rahmani, A. R. and Manakadan, R. (1987) A large roost of harriers a soft and easily bent grass about 1 m tall. The latter in Andra Pradesh. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 83 (Suppl): 203. species may have acted as a barrier for mammalian Samant, J. S., Prakash, V. and Naoroji, R. (1995) Ecology and behaviour predators, as the rustling sound produced by any ground of resident raptors with special reference to endangered species. Final predators entering these grasses could alert the harriers Report (1990-93). Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society. of danger. Simmons, R. E. (2000): Harriers of the world: their behaviour and ecol- ogy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. During the study, Keoladeo National Park was identified as the biggest roost of Eurasian Marsh Harriers so far known in India. More than 150 Eurasian Marsh Harriers probably roost in the park when conditions are favourable. Conservation of the roost site in the grasslands of Block G is therefore very important. Ashok Verma, Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Dr. Salim Ali Chowk, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai-40023, India; Email: [email protected] New and significant records from Dehra Dun valley, lower Garhwal Himalayas, India A. P. SINGH This paper supplements information published earlier NEW RECORDS FOR on the birds of Dehra Dun valley and the neighbouring DEHRA DUN VALLEY hills (Singh 2000). The observations presented here wereare based on a survey of 89 days undertaken from PALE-CHINNED FLYCATCHER Cyornis poliogenys March 2000 to May 2002 in tropical moist deciduous A pair was observed in an opening in a mixed patch of sal Shorea robusta forests (Champion and Seth 1968) dense sal forest at Thano (30º13’N 78º15’E) on 27 below 1000 m in the Dehra Dun valley. Information August 2001. Both sexes were observed perching on seven species newly recorded in the valley is provided, together on a thick branch and descending lower to feed. along with recent observations of two threatened and The male had a pale throat, light orange breast and an three Near Threatened species. ashy-blue wash on the back and head (similar to form vernayi found in peninsular India). In contrast the female had an ashy-brown back and head. This species has been 152 SHORT NOTES Forktail 18 (2002) recorded previously in Corbett Tiger Reserve (Grewal GREEN-TAILED SUNBIRD Aethopyga nipalenis and Sahgal 1995). Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher Cyornis A pair was noted feeding on nectar of Athatoda vasaca tickelliae, which is commonly observed on the southern flowers in an open bush-covered hillside in sal forest, slopes of Shiwalik hills, was not recorded from the valley close to Thano Forest Rest House (30º15’N 78º12’E) during the present survey. It is rare for these two on 22 February 2001. This is the first record of this congeneric (and perhaps competing) species of sunbird from the valley, but it was recorded by Fleming flycatcher to occur together. For example, in sal forests (1967) at Mussoorie, and it is known as far west as 78ºE in the Nepal terai Tickell’s is absent but Pale-chinned is in Garhwal (Grimmett et al. 1998, Kazmierczak 2000). present. It is possible that these two species mutually replace each other, but further research is needed. OTHER SIGNIFICANT RECORDS CRESTED GOSHAWK Accipiter trivirgatus A pair was observed perching on a high branch of a FERRUGINOUS POCHARD Aythya nyroca medium-sized tree, beside a large water-hole, in sal forest (Near Threatened: BirdLife International 2000) at Jhajra (30º18’N 77º57’E) on 15 November 2000. The A pair was noted in shallow water in the marshes near short nuchal crest, dark mesial streak, breast streaking the southern islands of Asan Barrage, feeding with and relatively large size distinguished them from other Gadwall Anas strepera, Common Pochard Aythya ferina Accipiter species. This species’s range extends to lower and Tufted Duck A. fuligula on 13 and 23 November Garhwal in the Himalayas (Ali and Ripley 1987), but it 2001. Osmaston (1935) recorded this species was not previously known from the valley. occasionally along the river Yamuna, and Singh (2000) found it to be uncommon in winter 1998-1999. WHITE-RUMPED MUNIA Lonchura striata A small party of five individuals of the race acuticauda BLACK-BELLIED T ERN Sterna acuticauda was observed feeding on the ground in dense (Near Threatened: BirdLife International 2000) undergrowth in sal forest at Thano on 28 December A single bird was recorded circling over the Asan Barrage 2001, in the company of Puff-throated Babblers and the river Yamuna on 19 January 2002. This species Pellorneum ruficeps. The north-western distribution limit was previously recorded in Dehra Dun valley by was previously known to be lower eastern Garhwal and Osmaston (1935), Gandhi and Singh (1995) and Singh Kumaon (where there are no recent records) and central (2000). Nepal (Kazmierczak 2000). PALLAS’S FISH EAGLE Haliaeetus leucogaster EURASIAN BLACKBIRD Turdus merula (Vulnerable: BirdLife International 2000) A pair was observed in the garden of Malhan Forest A pair was regularly observed from August 2000 to April Rest House at Sabhawala (30º22’N 77º47’E, 550 m), 2001 and from August 2001 to January 2002 at the edge situated at the edge of dense sal forests on 21 November of sal forests at the confluence of Yamuna and Asan rivers 2000. The male was entirely black without a grey wing- at Asan Barrage (30º26’N 77º40’E). They were observed patch and the female had a brown bill instead of yellow feeding and preying on small and medium-sized fish, as found in Grey-winged Blackbird T. boulboul which Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha and Ruddy winters in Dehra Dun valley. There are no previous Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea. Courtship and mating records of this species from the valley or adjoining hills. accompanied by loud braying noises given by both sexes It is known from higher elevations (>3,000 m) in the was observed on a Bombax ceiba tree in the evening of Garhwal Himalayas, with downhill movements during 13 November 2001. This nest site has been used by the winter to as low as 75 m (Ali and Ripley 1987, Grimmett eagles since at least 1984. This species was recorded as et al. 1998). a breeding resident by Osmaston (1935) on the rivers Ganga and Yamuna and at Kanarao; by Gandhi and BROWN FISH OWL Ketupa zeylonensis Singh (1995) and Singh (2000) at Asan Barrage, and An individual was observed on a big stone in a small by Pandey et al. (1994) and Singh (2000) in adjoining perennial jungle stream near Karvapani (30º17’N Rajaji National Park. 77º57’E) during the afternoon on 21 November 2000. On being disturbed it flew away to settle in a huge sal WHITE-RUMPED V ULTURE Gyps benghalensis tree nearby. Previously, Pandey et al. (1994) observed (Critically Endangered: BirdLife International 2000) this species in Rajaji National Park outside the valley. It This species was observed in a large flock only once is known from submontane Himalayas locally up to 1500 during the present survey. A total of 27 individuals, m (Ali and Ripley 1987). counted twice in half an hour, were noted circling over a carcass at Jhajra forest range (30º18’N 77º57’E, 650 LESSER RACKET-TAILED DRONGO Dicrurus remifer m) on 19 March 2001 along with a single Egyptian Two were seen flying over tree-tops at the edge of sal Vulture Neophron percnopterus.
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